Testing Ferrari’s New GTC4Lusso Shooting Brake

The Ferrari GTC4Lusso is the next great Prancing Horse wagon

Ignition got their hands on Ferrari’s GTC4Lusso, a beautiful two-door wagon. The show’s host, Jason Cammisa talks it up and in the age of hyper-luxury SUVs, we’re happy to see this kind of car from Ferrari. And what better way could someone introduce a fine Italian grand tourer than in an alpine setting? The dramatic backdrop only heightens the romantic sensation of a finely sculpted Ferrari shooting brake. The raucous V12 exhaust note also sounds capable of burying nearby villages under an avalanche, which is everything a Ferrari should do. With panache.

Unlike other high-end manufacturers, Ferrari has built with the GTC4Lusso a grand tourer with four usable seats. Too often, the back seat serves as a parcel shelf at best. This F-car, however, allows space and comfort for a traveling quartet. Unfortunately, the stonelike seats beg for replacement or hope for an alternate option, at least. Well, you can’t get everything right.

Nevertheless, the new Ferrari personifies the needs of its target market. The 680 horsepower V12 wails up to its 8,200 rpm redline. Its sound will make passersby grasp their small children and seek shelter from an approaching band of marauding Yetis. Meanwhile, the well-insulated cabin allows conversation about Yetis’ mere existence in civil tones. (Do rich people talk about Yetis?)

That kind of refinement, of course, creates heft. The GTC4Lusso weighs in at 4,500 pounds, although the engine and all-wheel-drive still hustle it to 60 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds. The new 4RM all-wheel-drive system gives Ignition host Jason Cammisa some pause for serious excitement. Because the normal transmission sits at the rear axle, Ferrari had to add a second transmission to the front of the V12. That turns the front wheels and a clever computer brain manages torque vectoring between two gearboxes.